Family Matters
by minachandler
Summary: Two missing scenes from 2x14. Once Sara's patched her up, Oliver and Dig insist on taking Felicity home, which leaves Sara ample time to ponder about family matters. And when Laurel shows up at Verdant, things take an emotional turn as they catch up on the last six years.


A/N: This was written for the Arrow Summer Rewatch challenge. The prompt was: write a scene from 2x14 from a non typical view, i.e. Diggle, Sara, Laurel, the Clock King (that would be fun!) that features either Oliver or Felicity.

I chose to write from Sara's perspective, because she is an absolute darling and quite literally the light of my life. I adore her interactions with everyone but especially with Felicity (Smoaking Canary ftw!) and Laurel, so I hope this story does justice to the episode. (Also, I totally needed to write something G-rated after the last thing I wrote...)

 **Work Text:**

"Something's bothering you."

Felicity's words jerk Sara out of her reverie and make her turn around, and after a moment, she smiles to herself. There is a wonderful, sometimes unintentionally brutal honesty to Felicity Smoak. It's something Sara has learned recently. She likes it. It's not often that she's around people who aren't hiding something – herself included.

They're in the foundry together, Ollie and Dig talking together quietly with their backs turned once more as the two women get changed. There's a bit of blood on the shirt Felicity was wearing before, so Sara had offered one of hers instead, and Sara is half out of her leather pants when Felicity speaks.

At first, Sara opens her mouth to deny it, but she can't bring herself to say anything. She shakes her head and tugs off her pants before reaching for her denim shorts. When Felicity meets her eyes, though, Sara can tell that the effects of the oxycodone are starting to wear off. Then, to Sara's surprise, Felicity smiles sympathetically.

"Don't worry. I get it. I mean, I've never come back from the dead, but I never emerged from a family dinner happy either."

Despite everything, Sara finds herself smiling back. It doesn't take long for it to fade, though. "I probably shouldn't have brought Ollie along, to be honest."

"Why not?"

"Laurel," Sara says in explanation, and really, she doesn't need to say anything else because Felicity seems to understand.

"Right."

"And, I mean, aside from everything else…" Sara gestures, and she doesn't know if she's referring to the cheating, the shipwreck, the island, the freighter, Nanda Parbat or something else. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Felicity shakes her head. "It's just me." She looks at Sara questioningly, as if wondering why she has asked that.

"I've just… I know I've been gone a long time, but I've never seen Laurel like this. I was always the one to go off the rails, not her. And Dad told me she had a… problem, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for how much it hurts to see my sister like this – to see her hurting. And what's worse is how much I'm responsible for that."

In silence, Felicity digests this, pulling on her coat, and they're both fully dressed now, so Sara starts putting away her Canary outfit, turning her back once more. Once she's done, Oliver and Dig have joined them, Oliver now in regular clothes too.

"Right," Ollie declares, and his hand is resting lightly on Felicity's arm, "we're taking you home, Felicity."

"I can just get a cab," Felicity tries to say, but both Diggle and Oliver just look at her sternly in a way that makes Sara laugh.

"Don't even think about it," Diggle says.

Felicity just sighs and nods in resignation, half-exasperatedly, half-fondly. "I guess having a couple of bodyguards can't hurt any more than being shot in the shoulder. Although it did hurt. A lot."

Oliver chuckles, and Dig mutters something about going to get the van, making his way out of the foundry.

"I meant what I said, you know," Sara says to Felicity. "Ollie's lucky to have you two as friends."

Her words prompt Oliver to raise his eyebrows at her, then at Felicity, who – without skipping a beat – replies, "He's lucky to have you too." Then, as an afterthought, Felicity adds meaningfully, "So are your family."

The two women share a smile, and it amuses Sara to see Ollie in the middle, looking a bit bemused but at least a little more at ease than he has been in the last couple days.

"You all right?" Oliver asks Sara now.

"I will be," she says, but he doesn't look convinced. To be honest, she's not convinced of her own words either. Sara tries changing the subject, forcing a smile. "And hey. At least Team Arrow took down the bad guy."

And as she hopes, Felicity laughs, although it doesn't take long for her expression to be one of pain.

"You really need to stop saying that," Oliver says to Felicity, but even Sara can see he's not really serious. He sees Felicity wincing. "Are you sure you don't want –"

"Not going to the hospital," Felicity interrupts. "And if you say it again, it'll sound like you're doubting Sara's ability to suture, which I'm sure you don't want to do."

There's something endearingly familiar about the way Felicity talks to Ollie, her near grumpy acceptance of him fussing over her, her insistence that she can walk just fine, thank you, the way they work in tandem with each other in a completely different sense from the way the Arrow and the Canary take down criminals. Sara's not jealous. She's never been the jealous type – which seems strange given Ollie's history – and mostly, she's just glad for him, that for the first time since the island, he is surrounded by people who clearly look out for him.

Later, when Laurel comes into Verdant (somehow, miraculously, Thea decides to hire Sara as a bartender – Thea just seems relieved that Sara has experience, although she of course omits the part about being an international assassin for the better part of the last four years), Sara doesn't know if she or Ollie is more surprised. To her relief, Ollie leaves, and Sara feels an unexpected rush of emotion when Laurel breaks down completely, right in front of her.

"So please," Laurel says, "please don't hate me, Sara. Please."

Sara's always thought Laurel was beautiful, but it's only now, as finally there is some colour in her face and her eyes – filled to the brim with tears – pleading for her to understand, that Sara feels like she's truly gotten her big sister back. Her feet carry her, seemingly of their own accord, to Laurel and they hug.

"God, I've missed you," Sara says into Laurel's hair, and Sara can feel hot tears in her own eyes now – six years' worth of pain and loneliness and a life without some of the most important people in her life.

"I've missed you too," Laurel says. Her voice is muffled from where her face is buried in Sara's shoulder, which she can feel getting wet from Laurel's tears, but then she looks up and meets Sara's eyes. "And I'm so sorry."

But Sara shakes her head. "I'm the one who should be apologising," she says, and she goes around the bar to sit on a barstool, pulling up the one next to her for Laurel, who takes the seat while wiping tears with the backs of her hands.

"For what?"

Sara just gestures helplessly. "I'd say 'everything' but I don't think even that would cover it. I never should have brought Ollie with me to dinner."

"No," Laurel says, and her voice sounds stronger now, "you wanted the moral support. I get it."

"Not just that," Sara persists. But it's like Laurel knows what Sara's going to say, because again Laurel shakes her head.

"I was upset before," she says. "But the truth is, I made peace with… you getting on that boat with him a long time ago."

"Still. You're my sister, and I never should have done that to you."

At first, Laurel hesitates. Then she asks, "W-why did you?"

Sara looks away, feeling the sting of shame even though it's obvious Laurel's not bitter or upset or resentful, not really. "Back then… I would have said it was because I loved him," Sara says finally.

"But now?"

"Now, I know it was more… the thrill of it. I was just a kid, really, and I was so caught up in all the – excitement that I didn't stop and think about what it would do to you. And even though it's different now, with me and Ollie, it was insensitive of me to bring it up at dinner like that and I'm sorry. We should have waited for a better time to tell you."

"Really, you're welcome to him. Besides," Laurel says, and this time she's smiling, for the first time in a long time, even if it's a bit watery, "I'm pretty sure even Oliver Queen is better suited to you than… what's her name again?"

Sara feels her cheeks growing hot. "Her name is Nyssa," she says. Laurel nods slowly, and part of Sara wonders why there isn't more judgement or disapproval in her sister's gaze. "You don't seem all that surprised."

"What, you dating an assassin?" Laurel says, raising her eyebrows.

"No. Me dating a female assassin."

To her surprise, Laurel laughs. "You've clearly forgotten the time I found you making out with some girl during one of Ollie's parties."

"Oh God, yeah," Sara says, and she joins in, chuckling at the memory, wondering how she could indeed forget.

"You loved her," Laurel says softly, and it's not a question, Sara can tell. "I'm sorry things didn't work out with you two. I know what that's like."

Instantly, Sara places her hand on her sister's, and Laurel grips back tightly. "I heard about Tommy," Sara murmurs back. "I… honestly, I don't know what to say."

"Neither do I, half the time. I don't know what to say, or do. Most of the time," Laurel whispers, and when Sara looks up, she can see Laurel's tears are back, "I don't even feel like getting out of bed. I don't see the point. Especially now… now I don't even have a job to distract me."

"It will get better," Sara says, and she wishes her words didn't sound so empty because she really truly means them. And somehow, Laurel can sense that because she smiles.

"Dad said the same thing to me a while ago," she says. "I didn't believe him at the time, but that… that was before. Before I knew my baby sister is alive and right in front of me."

"You do realise you're only a few years older than me, right?" Sara says, but her tone is playful and she looks at her sister fondly anyway. "I stopped being a baby a long time ago."

"I know that. But that doesn't mean I won't always want to take care of you. Keep you safe."

For a moment, Sara looks away from Laurel, reminded momentarily of the life of danger she has been leading for the last few years. "I hope you know that goes both ways."

And again, it's like Laurel knows exactly what Sara's thinking when she says that, because Laurel lets out a deep sigh, looking at the bottle of vodka still sitting on the bar behind them. "I know what you're going to say. And you don't have to say it. I know I have a… problem. Even if Ollie was a dick about it."

"He shouldn't have," Sara says automatically.

"He had a point, though, even if he was being out of order. God, Dad even told me that addiction runs in the family, that I should get help, and still I didn't want to face it."

"You can kick it," Sara says firmly, and this time, she is more convinced of her words. "I know you can."

"And what makes you so sure?" Laurel asks. Her voice is bitter and Sara can see more self-loathing in her sister's eyes than ever before.

"Because," Sara says, "you're a fighter. And I know you can fight this."

Laurel smiles, then, and all the doubt and worry in her eyes seems to dissolve away as she leans forward and hugs Sara fiercely. "I guess that runs in the family too."


End file.
